


Unexpected Outcome

by sundaydriver



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 17:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundaydriver/pseuds/sundaydriver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hathaway and Lewis are on a undercover case in the country when their relationship takes an unexpected turn.</p><p>(A slightly AU look at what could happen between Hathaway and Lewis in the future).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Outcome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reddwarfer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reddwarfer/gifts).



James lit his cigarette with shaking fingers, almost dropping the lighter, and wondered for the millionth time what he could’ve been thinking to have done _that_.

It was supposed to have been a relatively easy case. Spend a couple of days at a country inn, pretending to be two College Lecturers of History from Oxford on a well-deserved holiday, and find out who was stealing priceless historical artifacts from the University. This was to be one of the last cases before Lewis retired and James had wanted to make sure that everything ran smoothly. He had done the appropriate research, arranged for the accommodations and was prepared to act the part of a College Lecturer with little issue. Lewis had actually been excited to stretch his skills and had been looking forward to starting the case as soon as possible. 

In the weeks prior, James had noticed his DI becoming a bit more familiar, ( _you can call me Robbie when we’re not on duty_ ), and he often encouraged James to meet him on the weekends, whether for a pint or to explore random bits of the city. James wondered if this was due to the fact that Lewis was leaving the force soon and was feeling a bit out of sorts. Thus he was clinging to what he was used to, in this case James’ company, and James wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He had been making a valiant effort to tamp down his burgeoning feelings for Lewis, ( _the thought of calling him Robbie terrified James at this point_ ), and it was difficult to do this when the person in question continued to act so extraordinarily friendly with him.

Regardless of the confusion he felt, James had been certain that the undercover case they were about to embark upon would be fine and they would solve the mystery in due course. He couldn’t imagine what could possibly go wrong.

Of course, upon reflection, James realized that he had probably been a bit too hasty in proclaiming the case to be so easily solvable. As soon as he and Lewis had arrived at the _Bull and Cock Inn_ , ( _a name which made James blush and which made Lewis laugh_ ), things had started to go downhill. Upon trying to check in, they were told that the second room they booked had been unintentionally given to another guest and they would have to sleep in the same room. On the same bed, no less, since they were out of available camp beds. James had tried to argue with the desk manager, but to no avail, and Lewis ended up thanking the manager for his help and had dragged James away toward the lifts. 

Their room had been questionable to say the least. Every bit of furniture had been decorated in chintzy fabric and bright colors, with a few pieces that had slightly phallic carvings on the legs and arms. James pointedly ignored those pieces of furniture, while Lewis again found it all so amusing. It’s not that James hadn’t been prepared for the less than quality aspect of the Inn, ( _his research had turned up several connections between the thefts and the Inn after all_ ), or that he had never been in dodgy places before. It was the fact that for all his training and expertise, he hadn’t been prepared for spending a few nights with the man he was desperately trying to pretend he didn’t have more than friendly feelings for. Lewis finding everything so damn funny also set James’ teeth on edge and had him wondering what was going on in his DI’s head as well.

After careful negotiations as to which side of the bed each man preferred, they had gotten ready to go to sleep, so they could be up early in the morning to start their official undercover investigation. James remembered laying in bed that first night, awake for hours, just listening to the snuffling breaths of Lewis and feeling his heat next to him. It had been agony and by the time the morning arrived, James had been feeling irritable, a fact that even Lewis noticed. The rest of the morning, Lewis hovered near James, at one point even placing his hand on James’ lower back to guide him toward the side gardens for a quick stroll. James had tried to rally and push aside his cranky feelings, but it had been difficult.

To make matters worse, in the process of waiting for the person or persons they suspected were the go-betweens for the artifact heists, James had started to notice the strange looks they were receiving from certain guests at the Inn. It had worried him at first, because he was concerned that he and Lewis had been discovered to be police, but after the third person, an elderly lady with a garish handbag, had winked at them, James began to put the pieces together. While they had had a few conversations with some of the other guests earlier in the morning, establishing their cover story as Oxford history lecturers, James realized that most of the guests assumed that he and Lewis weren’t merely colleagues or friends. They had instead assumed that they were most likely lovers, away on a quick holiday. 

James had spent the rest of that first day in a strange sort of panic, wondering what, if anything, Lewis suspected and what he could do to mitigate any of the damage. Lewis had noticed James’ distracted mood and, once again, wouldn’t leave his side, making it seem even more likely that they were in fact lovers. The constant touches on the arm and back, the concerned looks, the warmth that radiated from Lewis’s body, made James’ skin itch and all he had wanted to do was grab Lewis’s hand and pull him in for a kiss. 

But that would’ve been the craziest of follies and James resisted the notion as he continued to try and do his job, by talking to a few more guests during the dinner service, before deciding that he had had enough for one day. That second night was somehow even worse than the first, with the knowledge that almost everyone at the Inn suspected that he and Lewis might possibly be doing something more than just sleeping. James hadn’t been able to stop himself though from looking over at Lewis, stretching out his hand to hover over his arm, fingers twitching with the need to touch Lewis’s skin. He had brought his hand down to where Lewis had curled his own fingers into the sheets and had lightly pressed a soft touch there with such reverence that James had felt like crying. Upon pulling his hand back, he had absentmindedly looked up at Lewis’s face and had been startled to see Lewis looking straight at him. They had lay there for a while, just staring at each other, without moving a muscle. James remembered feeling as if the warmth in Lewis’s gaze was all he would ever need in his life. Eventually, Lewis smiled, a quick upturn of his lips, before saying, “Go to sleep, James. It’ll be alright in the morning.” James had smiled back in return, not sure as to what was really going on, before finding himself sleeping better than he had in years.

The second day at the Inn found James attempting to focus his energies on finding out who was the intended target for the exchange. Lewis had begun to discreetly canvas the local village, while James had been working on his list of suspects. Unfortunately, by the time Lewis had returned from the village, James hadn’t been any closer to discovering the culprit. Lewis had also been rather unsuccessful at finding out any new information, beyond a few bits of local gossip that may or may not have been related. They had both decided that it would be best if they ate some dinner, to revive their energy, before retiring to their room to go over their notes once more. 

After partaking of some shepherd’s pie and beer, they had been walking toward the lifts, when the night manager had stopped them. The owners of the Inn had arranged for a country-style dance and they had wanted to invite all of the couples that were staying with them to join in. James had been ready to decline, but Lewis had beat him to it by saying, “Sounds like a bit of fun, what do ya say, James?”

James had been surprised, but went along with it, and had soon found himself in an old-fashioned room with candles lit everywhere and several couples attempting to dance to the sounds of the few violinists in the corner. It’s not that James couldn’t dance, it was the fact that he would be dancing with Lewis, with _Robbie_ , and he didn’t know if he could handle it.

Eventually James found himself in Lewis’s arms, swaying back and forth, feeling slightly foolish, but also a little happy to have this small amount of time with him before having to go back to being the colleagues and friends they truly were. So, when it happened, James hadn’t been sure if it had been his fault or Lewis’s, but all of a sudden he had found himself kissing Lewis and pulling him into a tighter embrace. For a brief few seconds, with the cool taste of beer on Lewis’s lips and the warmth of his breath, James had felt like anything was possible.

And then reality crashed in, James panicked, fled and was currently out in the cold, shakily smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves. He didn’t know what he was going to do now, if he would need to resign or move or… His thoughts were all a jumble and he wasn’t sure what to do next. Of course, that’s when Lewis decided to show up, hands in his pockets and a concerned look on his face.

“James? Are you alright?”

James laughed, coughing a little with the smoke in his throat, before turning to Lewis and saying, “No, Sir, I’m not. I’m so sorry, I just…”

His words trailed off like wisps of the smoke he was exhaling and he shrugged his shoulders and tried not to cry.

James couldn’t quite discern the look on Lewis’s face, possibly a mixture of exasperation and fondness, before he was right there in front of him, slowly taking the cigarette out of his hand. He threw it on the ground, before turning back to James, saying, “Haven’t I told you to call me Robbie?” and then placed his hands on James' face to pull him in for another kiss. 

James shut off his troubled thoughts and finally gave in. He was soon focused on Lewis's lips and the touch of his fingertips and the joy that was bubbling up inside and forgot everything else for a little while. 


End file.
